“Grandma also said that if she wore a bracelet, good energy would come out of her body, and all her pain would disappear.”
Hakyung continued his explanation, recalling the items his grandmother had brought back in abundance from the market a few years ago.
A small laugh escaped Muheon’s lips as he listened intently to the “river dolphin’s” words.
The added thought was that it would have been quite a sight if Hwang Young had heard this.
“It’ll be much better than a germanium bracelet.”
“Of course, it will! I have eyes, you know!”
Hakyung stamped his foot, looking at the brilliantly shining pink jewel on his hand.
It seemed newly beautiful every time he looked at it.
The same went for the ring on Muheon’s hand.
His heart swelled as if they shared the most special ring in the world.
Muheon and Hakyung meticulously checked what was written in the pamphlet together, then returned to the hall.
Guests, patting their full bellies with satisfied expressions, gathered to greet Muheon and Hakyung.
“We’ll be leaving now! Muheon-nim, please have a wonderful time on your honeymoon! And you too, Hakyung-dongsaeng!”
“Don’t worry about the company. I’m an Excel master now.”
While Hakyung diligently responded to each of their farewells, his family, who had finished preparing to leave, also approached.
“Oppa, we’ll be going now too.”
“Already leaving?”
“We have to. If we stay longer, it’ll be too late.”
Hakyung looked disappointed at Hawon’s answer.
Seeing his siblings also look crestfallen, his grandmother stepped forward.
She started nagging, patting Hakyung’s back vigorously.
“You’re not going to be separated forever, so why the long face! On such a good day! Your husband made it so comfortable for us to come and go in a really nice car, so don’t you worry about it being hard at all!”
“I know, but I can’t help feeling sad, can I?”
Hakyung, who had instantly transformed from a newlywed groom to a “poop pig,” whined, holding his grandmother’s hand.
Muheon was the only one worried if Hakyung’s back hurt from his grandmother’s pats.
Hakyung spent more time seeing off his family than he did at the actual wedding ceremony.
Beside him, Muheon also exerted his social skills to the fullest, diligently comforting the siblings who had become “worry dolls.”
Thanks to Muheon’s efforts, the siblings left with much lighter expressions.
Hakyung also looked much better than before.
“We should probably get going soon too.”
“Yes! Should we go change first?”
Hakyung grabbed his shirt collar and moved it around, as if his neck felt stuffy.
Muheon stopped Hakyung’s abrupt movements and personally unbuttoned his shirt.
Every movement was so careful, lest his nails scratch him and cause a wound, that Hakyung felt a tingling sensation throughout his body.
“You know, I told you this before, but even though I look like this, for a river dolphin, I’m actually tall and have a large frame.”
“Yeah, I know. Kang Hakyung is big and cool.”
“But every time you take care of me like this, I feel like I’ve become incredibly delicate, precious, and fragile.”
Hakyung rubbed his forehead against Muheon’s broad chest and smiled sweetly.
Seeing Hakyung like that, Muheon felt a surge of nervousness, wondering if being treated that way made him uncomfortable.
He lowered the hand that had been touching Hakyung’s collar and touched his pink hair, asking,
“So, you don’t like it?”
“No. I didn’t even know my own preference, but I really, really like this.”
Seeing Hakyung rub against him even more, clearly wanting more petting and affection, Muheon couldn’t help but laugh heartily.
***
No, why on earth, what was wrong with Muheon-nim…?
The West Sea shapeshifters were aghast, forgetting they’d been caught secretly peeking.
Whether they were dumbfounded or not, Muheon waved his hand, as if to say, “If your curiosity is satisfied, then leave.”
One of them, who somehow understood the meaning, led the rest backward.
“Wait a minute…”
“Leave that.”
Muheon pointed to the water in a brass basin.
The startled individual, causing the water to slosh, hesitated and stood before Muheon.
He took the basin, and as Muheon gestured with his chin, he scurried away.
Muheon had just been wondering if he should go get water to wash Hakyung, but it was convenient that they brought it themselves.
Muheon slowly opened the door to avoid making noise and peered inside.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the newlywed was sleeping soundly and hadn’t woken up.
Muheon exhaled a laugh mixed with a sigh, then gently removed Hakyung’s clothes, soaked a towel, and wiped him down.
Since Hakyung had some makeup on his face, he had to wipe him even more carefully.
To think he would be tending to someone’s every need daily.
And doing it willingly, with all his heart. It was a change he couldn’t believe himself.
It was only possible because it was Kang Hakyung.
Finally, after gently wiping Hakyung’s round, pretty forehead until it was dry, Muheon settled down beside him.
The soft silk duvet warmly embraced his body.
And in his arms was Kang Hakyung, whom he couldn’t bear to harm.
He felt that falling asleep so quietly and peacefully wasn’t bad at all.
***
The next morning, Hakyung woke up from a deep sleep, having not dreamed at all, and there was no trace of dark circles or fatigue on his face.
However, despite his refreshed appearance, Hakyung’s mood was currently very bleak.
This was because he realized that on their historic first night, he had passed out flat on Muheon’s lap.
As Muheon said, they had spent their first night on the day they registered their marriage, and love-filled days had followed since.
But this was their wedding night!
Hakyung felt tears welling up, so unjustly did last night feel wasted.
He was so surprised when he saw the sunlight streaming through the window as soon as he woke up…
The absurdity of his first night being gone quickly turned into anger.
The empty space beside him made him even angrier.
Hakyung stomped his foot, furiously hitting the duvet.
He seemed ready to grab Muheon immediately and get down to business.
However, Muheon’s family home was several times larger than his dorm in Seoul.
Unless Hakyung was a dog shapeshifter, finding Muheon in such a vast place would be, to exaggerate slightly, harder than finding a 500-won coin on a sandy beach.
Just as he was wandering around, trying to find Muheon, he heard hushed voices somewhere.
He doubted Muheon would be part of that conversation, but hoping to get a clue about his whereabouts, Hakyung approached them.
As the scattered words became full sentences, a strange phrase caught Hakyung’s ear.
“…You were rejected.”
“That’s strange, they seemed to get along so well.”
“Isn’t it because Hakyung-nim is still uncomfortable with the sea?”
“I didn’t believe it at first either, but Muheon-nim himself said so, and seeing him alone this morning…”
Hakyung’s mouth dropped open, unable to believe what he was hearing.
What was this “rejection” Muheon had experienced, and what did it mean that Hakyung was uncomfortable with the sea?!
There wasn’t a single truth in their conversation.
Hakyung brazenly burst in among the sea shapeshifters.
“It’s not true!”
The West Sea family members cried “Oh my!” in surprise at the sudden appearance of the “river dolphin” in the middle of their secret conversation.
Hakyung flinched because they were so startled, but his sense of injustice came first.
“It’s not that I rejected my husband…! I just fell asleep while talking on his lap, and he didn’t wake me up, he just let me sleep! I mean, I was so dumbfounded…! And then when I woke up, he wasn’t next to me! Wait, isn’t this me being rejected?!”
As he spoke, his anger surged again.
The sea shapeshifters, who had been listening intently to Hakyung’s rapid-fire words, empathized with the “river dolphin’s” injustice and chimed in.
They were so startled that they had forgotten their hats, which they wore like a second skin, and were now earnestly trying to calm Hakyung’s anger.
***
Hakyung, having somewhat calmed down with the comfort of the West Sea family, finally asked what he was curious about.
“But where is my husband?”
“Oh, Muheon-nim! He said he’d go look around the forest over there before Hakyung-nim woke up.”
“I see. Can I go there?”
“Yes, of course!”
Hakyung bid them farewell, saying he would go ahead, and walked towards the forest, as they readily nodded.
He had felt it last time too, but it was a dense and magnificent forest, so much so that it didn’t feel like they were underwater.
Hakyung admired the scenery, where green seaweed and trees still intertwined, and slowly walked deeper inside.
How long did he walk?
He saw a familiar silhouette.
It was Muheon, wearing the black dopo he frequently wore.
He had one arm raised and his eyes closed, and it wasn’t hard to imagine how the inside of his arm, hidden by the dopo, had transformed.
Just like he had seen on the rooftop before, black scales must be shining brilliantly.
Hakyung stopped moving where he was.
He later heard from the Bugunrim that Imugis were extremely sensitive to being disturbed when performing their tasks.
That’s why he was surprised that Muheon had let Hakyung go gently when Hakyung had disturbed his task on the rooftop.
Ever since hearing that story, Hakyung had been careful not to disturb Muheon while he worked.
It was the same now.
If he had known that “looking around the forest” meant Muheon was performing his task, he wouldn’t have come looking for him.
He was debating whether to back away and leave the forest right then.
“Why aren’t you coming closer?”
Muheon said, turning his gaze precisely towards Hakyung.
Hakyung blinked in surprise, wondering how Muheon knew he was there, even with his eyes closed and being quite far away.
“Come here.”
Muheon gently waved his hand. Drawn by the gesture, Hakyung slowly approached him.
Then, he awkwardly scratched his cheek and tapped his toes.
“You should have rested more. You’re already awake.”
“How can I sleep more when you’re not next to me, honey?”
In truth, Muheon had been out for well over two hours, but he simply replied, “Is that so?”
Hakyung quickly nodded and nestled into Muheon’s side.
Muheon also lowered his head and wrapped his arm around Hakyung’s small shoulder.
Only when they were clinging to each other like one body did he feel at ease.
It seemed Muheon felt the same, as his stern expression visibly softened.
After enjoying Muheon’s embrace for a while, Hakyung lifted his head to look at him.
“I’m sorry for disturbing you. If you’re not finished yet, I’ll go back first.”
“You’re not a disturbance. What could be more important than you?”
At the answer that came without an ounce of hesitation, Hakyung chuckled, “Heh.”
Seeing his foolishly cute laugh, Muheon playfully ruffled Hakyung’s hair.
“You came out without your hat. Is your head okay?”
“Oh, now that you mention it…!”
He hadn’t even realized he wasn’t wearing his hat until then.
Muheon’s large hand firmly enveloped Hakyung’s head.
Hakyung, squirming his fingers in embarrassment at Muheon’s overprotectiveness, gasped and snapped back to reality.
He suddenly remembered why he had rushed out without his hat.
***
A cold wind whipped around the “river dolphin,” where pink hearts had just been fluttering.
Muheon tilted his head at the sudden change in atmosphere, as if a switch had been flipped.
“What’s wrong? Do you have a headache?”
“Haah, yes! I-I have a headache!”
“How bad is it? Is it because your head was exposed? Should we go back to the land?”
Muheon, startled by Hakyung’s words, rushed as if he would take Hakyung to a hospital on land immediately.
Whose fault do you think this headache is?!
Hakyung thumped Muheon’s oblivious back.
However, Muheon didn’t seem to feel Hakyung’s “marshmallow fists” at all and only anxiously checked Hakyung’s condition.
Eventually, Hakyung had no choice but to confess, “I’m not hurting.”
“You’re not hurting? Then why…?”
“This is all because of you, Muheon-ssi!”
“Me? Why me?”
Muheon’s expression, still completely clueless, was infuriating.
Hakyung, with narrowed eyes, passionately ranted about how he was left alone in the room this morning, how Muheon’s words from yesterday were distorted and spread, and finally, how upset he was about completely missing their most important first night.
How hard must he have been talking?
Hakyung’s cheeks were flushed red after his long speech.
He shouldn’t laugh.
If he laughed now, it would only anger Hakyung more, but he simply couldn’t hold it back.
It was truly amazing how adorable a “river dolphin” so obsessed with lewd acts could be.
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